Daily Current Affairs 19 January 2024
Important News: National |
Foxconn and HCL Group Partnership for Chip Packaging Unit in India
Why in News:
- Foxconn and HCL Group enter into partnership for Chip Packaging Unit in India.
Key Points:
- As part of the deal, Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development, a subsidiary of Foxconn, will form a joint venture with HCL, wherein it will invest $37.2 million for a 40% stake.
- The announcement from Foxconn is significant because the company had initially planned to establish a $20 billion semiconductor fabrication unit with Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta. However, this plan was called off in July last year when the duo couldn't secure a technology partner for manufacturing 28-nanometer chips.
- Foxconn had also submitted a fresh proposal to the government to set up a semiconductor fabrication unit
- Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran has also announced that the Tata group was also looking to set up a semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat.
- US-based semiconductor company Micron is also setting up its semiconductor assembly, testing, marking, and packaging (ATMP) plant in India.
- In a bid to boost the country’s semiconductor ecosystem, the government is bearing 50% of the project cost under its $10-billion semiconductor incentive scheme.
Source: Financial Express
Chhattisgarh Launches Mahtari Vandana Yojana
Why in News:
- The Chhattisgarh government has recently launched a new scheme by the name of Mahtari Vandana Yojana 2024. Under this initiative, the government aims to provide financial assistance of Rs 1,000 every month to women, totaling annual financial assistance of Rs 12,000.
Key Points:
- The Mahtari Vandana Yojana 2024 is a state-level effort aimed at improving the lives of women.
- This initiative provides monthly financial assistance of one thousand rupees directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
- The funds can be used by women for their health, personal expenses, and even to start small businesses.
- Overall, this scheme is expected to significantly contribute to enhancing the financial condition of women.
- To access the advantages offered by Mahtari Vandana Yojana 2024, the applicant needs to be a resident of Chhattisgarh.
- Eligibility is limited to married women residing in Chhattisgarh, with the annual income of the beneficiary's family not exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh.
- Women applying for the scheme should fall within the age bracket of 23 to 60 years.
- Additionally, widows, orphans, and abandoned women are also eligible to benefit from the scheme.
Source: Live Hindustan
ISRO Unveils Advanced Distress Alert Transmitter
Why in News:
- ISRO unveils 2nd-gen distress alert transmitter for fishermen.
Key Points:
- ISRO has developed a second-generation 'Distress Alert Transmitter' (DAT), incorporating advanced satellite communication and navigation capabilities that allow fishermen at sea to send emergency messages from fishing boats and get acknowledgement in real-time.
- The DAT has been operational since 2010 and more than 20,000 of them are currently in use.
- The messages are sent through a communication satellite and received at a central control station (INMCC: Indian Mission Control Centre) where the alert signals are decoded for the identity and location of the fishing boat.
- The extracted information is forwarded to Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) under the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). Using this information the MRCC undertakes Search and Rescue operations to save the fishermen in distress.
- Further, the information about Potential Fishing Zones (PFZs) are also transmitted to fishermen using DAT-SG on regular intervals.
- DAT-SG can be connected to mobile phones using Bluetooth interface and the messages can be read in native language using an app on the mobile.
Source: CNBC TV18
India records its first-ever confirmed sighting of a rare Tibetan Brown Bear
Why in News:
- In an effort to protect India's biodiversity, the rare Tibetan brown bear has been confirmed for the first time in the highlands of North Sikkim.
Key Points:
- India recorded its first-ever confirmed sighting of a rare Tibetan brown bear in Northern Sikkim marking an addition of a new subspecies to the mammal diversity of India.
- This species, scientifically known as Ursus arctos pruinosus.
- Earlier records of brown bear from India are from Uttarakhand, Himachal, Ladakh and J&K - the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), which is the western Himalayan subspecies of brown bear.
- The bear was seen in North Sikkim's Mangan district, which is renowned for its pristine landscapes and rich biodiversity.
- Historically found mainly on the alpine eastern Tibetan plateau (4,500 to 5,000 metres) in eastern Tibet, western China, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Source: Mint
RuPay Prime Volleyball League onboards Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador for Season 3
Why in News:
- RuPay Prime Volleyball powered by A23 has appointed Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador.
Key Points:
- The third season of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League (PVL) has seen a major advancement in marketing and promotion as the popular Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan has been named as the league's brand ambassador.
- Starting on February 15, 2024, the RuPay Prime Volleyball League Season 3 will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network.
- The nine franchises in the league—the Hyderabad Black Hawks, Ahmedabad Defenders, Kolkata Thunderbolts, Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, Mumbai Meteors, and the recently added Delhi Toofans—are co-owned and marketed by Baseline Ventures.
- The second season of the league garnered a total cumulative viewership of 206 million, as compared to 133 million from Season 1, with broadcast in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam on Sony Sports Network. With the second season of the league witnessing over 371 million impressions, 113.9 million views, 92 million reach, and five million fan engagements across various digital platforms, the sport gained traction through social media.
Source: Financial Express
Odisha CM Inaugurates Puri Jagannath Temple’s Heritage Corridor
Why in News:
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Shrimandir Parikrama Prakalpa or Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor project on January 17th, 2024.
Key Points:
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 17, 2024 unveiled the Shri Mandir Parikrama Prakalpa (SMPP), a massive peripheral development project around the 12th century Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri.
- Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated the Srimandir Parikrama Project to the public under which a 75-metre heritage corridor has been built around the perimeter of the 12th century Jagannath temple with facilities like circumamblulation by the devotees, smoother pedestrian flow, building of cloak rooms, toilets and 1.5-km-long bridge that would bring people close to the temple, bypassing the crowd in the holy town.
- As part of the project, a one kilometre road named as ‘Sri Marg’ which runs parallel to Badadanda (Grand Road) has been built from Jagannathballav multilevel parking area to Simhadwar (Lion’s Gate) to minimise crowd density at Badadanda.
- Launched in the year 2021, the ₹300-crore “Shreemandir Parikrama” project is a confluence of 22 concurrently run development projects. Chief among these is a 7-metre-long buffer zone adjacent to the Meghnad Pacheri (the 24-ft-high wall forming the boundary wall of the shrine), a 10-metre-long “antar parikrama”(circumambulation) that will allow for the ceremonial procession of deities, an 8-metre-long parikrama path for devotees, and a 10-metre public convenience zone that has modern restrooms, a drinking water fountain, cloakrooms for 4,000 families at a time, and shelter pavilions. There is also a 5-metre service lane for the maintenance of the corridor, a 4.5-metre dedicated shuttle-cum-emergency lane, a 7.5-metre mixed traffic lane to aid the movement of vehicles around the corridor and a 7-metre-wide shaded footpath with trees.
Source: Hindustan Times
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